New Funding from DOE Boosts Carbon Capture and Storage Research and Development

Investment of more than $62 million from Recovery Act reflects Administration’s aggressive approach for carbon capture

September 16, 2009 -- Washington, DC - U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced more than $62 million in funding that will boost carbon capture and storage research and development in the years to come. Today’s investment from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act reflects the Obama Administration’s commitment to creating new jobs, having the U.S. be a leader on climate change, and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.

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"Given the importance of coal to our energy future in the United States, China and other countries, it's crucial that we develop ways to capture and store carbon pollution," said Secretary Chu. "These technologies will not only give us a healthier planet, they will strengthen our economy and lay a foundation for a new generation of clean energy jobs."

Site Characterization

As part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to develop technologies to store carbon dioxide emissions, DOE is awarding $49.75 million to conduct site characterization studies of promising geologic formations for carbon dioxide storage. The 11 projects announced today will increase the understanding of the potential for these formations to safely and permanently store carbon dioxide.

The projects selected will work to determine the usefulness of potential geologic storage sites, and supplement existing data through coordination with a public database and participating in technical working groups on best practices for site characterization and approving storage site selections. The information gained from these projects will further DOE’s effort to develop an assessment of carbon dioxide storage capacity in geologic formations across the country.

For a full list of projects selected under today’s announcement please visit Site Characterization Awards

Geologic Sequestration Training and Research

Today’s announcement includes $12.7 million in funding for geologic sequestration training and research projects. These projects – 43 in total - will offer training opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to develop the skills required for implementing and deploying carbon capture and storage technologies.

The projects selected will provide resources in universities across the country in the following advanced research areas:

• simulation and risk assessment
• monitoring, verification, and accounting
• geological related analytical tools
• methods to interpret geophysical models
• carbon dioxide capture

For a full list of award winners and more information about the projects selected under today’s announcement please visit Geologic Sequestration Training and Research Awards.

Source: DOE